Caster.



PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906. G. STENGEL.

GASTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2. 1905.

Witnesses: 691M (RSL m. s.

Inventor Attorney I ,taken in connection wi UNITED sTATEs PATENT FEIGE.

CHARLES s'rENesL, or HAMILTON, orno.

seer-Ea.

Be it known that I, CHARLES STENGEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio, (post-office address No. 114 North Front street, Hamilton,

-Ohio,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casters, of which the fol lowing is aspecificatiOn,

" This invention, pertaining to improvementsin casters for furniture, will be' readily understood fromv the following description,

th the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure 1 is a vertical section 'in a plane at right an Ice to the axisof the axle of a caster, exer'npl' ying my invention Fig. 2, a rear elevation or the same, one pi the wheels appearing partly in verticalxliametrical section; and Fig. 3 aperspfive View of the union-block. Inthe drawings, 1 indicates the usual stem; 2, the housing; 3, the hemispherical lower -end ofthe stem engaging a step-bea'rin in the housing; '4, a circumferential groove at the lowe end of the stem; 5, the axle pausing horizoni -lly through-the housin 6, a unionblock in the form of a cylindrica plug seated in a cylindrical socket in the front face of the housing to the rear of the stem, the axis of this socket being in suhstantially the same horizontal plane as the lower shore of the groove in'the stem; 7, a tongue projecting from the front upper portion of the unionblock and into the groove of the stem, the lower surface of this tongue engaging the lower shore of the roove in the stem and being substantially in the same plane as the axis of the union-block; 8, a horizontal pin fitting tightly in the hole in the housing in rearward prolongation of .the socket containing the union-block, this pin passing through a notch in the axle to prevent the endwise displacement of the latter; 9, the two floorwheels; 10, guard-flanges formed upon the sides of the housing and disposed within the rimsof the floor-wheels; ii, a horn projecting rearwardly from the housing between the two floor-wheels; 12, a horizontal aperture, prei erablv circular in form, through. this rearwardlyprojecting horn, its axis being substantially line with peripheries of the floor.

- wheelsj13, a vertical-slit in the rearwardlyprojecting horn at right angles tothe axis of aperture 12; 14,'a scraper. preferably or semcircular form, supported in the aperture i2 and extending at each'side of the horn and Specification of Letters Patent, Application filed September 2, 1905. Serial Nof2'76f781.

"bearing Patented March 27, 1906.

the tread-s ofthe floor-wheels, and i5 a wire spring disposed within the slit 1 3 and having its heel secured to the scraper 14, its free end housing;

The,unionbloc k 6 serves in'coupling the housing to the stem and is free for rotation in the socket in the housing, As the housing v oscill'a'tes with reference to the stem the union-block turns in its socket, thus permitting the lower fiat surface of the tongue 7 to maintain constant relationship to the lower downwardly upon a portion of the the stem is stepped in the housing and the 7 pin 8 driven to place, this'driving of pin 8 to place forcing the unionblock forward and bringing its tongue into engagement with the groove in the stem. Pin 8 need only fit with sufficient tightness to insure against accidental displacement, and it may be Withdrawn when the caster is to be taken apart.

The scraper 14 serves to remove foreign matters from the treads OfthefiOOr-WheeIs and is held to its work bythe action of the spring. the scraper by passing through an-aperture therein and then being bent over one edge of the scraper.- By releasing this bend in the spring it may be withdrawn rearwardly from the scraper and the scraper removed. The spring may be adjusted in tension by appro priately bending its body, thus regulating the pressure with which the-scraper bears upon the floor-wheels.

I claim as my invenuon 1. In a caster, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a housin havin a stepb'earing and'a horizontal 'cylindrica socket above the base of said bearing, a stem havin its foot stepped insaid bearing and provided with a circumferential groove, and a cylindrical union-block. journaled in said socket and having a tongue engaging said groove, said union-block being adapted for angular motion in said soc et under the influence of said grooved stern.

2. In a caster, the combination, substan- The heel of the spring is secured to Toe its foot stepped in said, bearing and provided ing and bearing against the rear end of said union-block. a

4. In a caster, the combination, substan tially as set forth, of a stern, a pair of fioorc Wheels, a housing articulated to the stem and having a re'arWardly-projecting horn with a horizontal aperture therein, and a scraper disposed in said aperture and projecting Out- Wardly sidewise from the perforation in said horn and engaging the treads of the floorwheels.

5. In a caster, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a stem, a pair of floor- Wheels, a housing articulated to the stem and having a rearWardly-projecting horn with a horizontal circular aperture, and a scraper semicircular in cross-section disposed in said aperture and projecting sidcwise from the horn and engaging the treads of the floor- Wheels.

6. In a caster, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a stem, a pair of floorwheels, a housing articulated to the stem and having a rearwardly-projecting horn with a horizontal aperture, a scraper disposed in said aperture and projecting sidewise from the horn and engaging the treads of the floor- Wheels, and a s ring engaging said housing and scraper an serving to hold the scraper yieldingly to the wheels.

7. In a caster, the combination, substan' tially as set forth, of a stern, a pairof floor-- Wheels, a housing articulated to the stern and having a vertically-slitted rearwardlyprojecting horn with a horizontal aperture, a

scraper disposed in said aperture and projecting sidewise from the horn and engaging the treads of the floor-wheels, and a Wire spring disgpsed in the slit of the horn and having its eel secured to the scraper and its free end engaging the housing,

8. In a caster, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a stem, a pair of floorwheels, a housing articulated to the stem and having a vertically-slitted rearWardly-projecting horn with a horizontal aperture, a

scraper disposed in saidhperture and projecting sidewise from the horn and engaging the treads of the floor-Wheels, and a wire spring disposed in said slit and having its heel bent about a portion of the scraper and havin its free end engaging the housing.

9. n a caster, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a stem, a pair of floor- Wheels, a housing articulated to the stem and having a vertically-slitted rearWardly-projecting horn with a horizontal aperture, a scraper disposed in said aperture and projecting sidewise from the horn and engaging the treads of the floor-Wheels, and a wire spring having its heel passing through an aperture in the scraper and bent about a por' tion of the scraper and having its freeend in engagement with the housin cHAsLEs srnnssn Witnesses:

ELMER R. SrnPLEY, M. S. BELDEN. 

